Factories in hurry to tackle post-holiday orders

The Dai Dung Metallic Manufacture Construction and Trade Company at the An Ha industrial park in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District opened up for operations on Thursday.

After seven days of the Tet holiday, 90% of the workers returned to work, amounting to over 2,800 people. All employees who were present on the first day got "lucky money" for Tet blessings.

Nguyen Van Hung, president of the company union, said the workers who were not present on the first day as they were staying in faraway localities will have company buses take them back, so that all workers will be present on Monday, Feb. 19.

"There are a lot of orders for the factory, so they need to be done urgently right at the beginning of the year," Hung said.

The company often provides contracting services and manufacture steel products, with its main markets being Japan and the U.S. The total value of contracts at the beginning of the year for the company reached VND1.5 trillion ($61.19 million), 10% of the company's target revenue of the year.

Besides the lucky money and the bus rides, the board of directors also have plans to increase the salary for all workers.

Hung said the salary increase would happen before the government's minimum wage adjustments in July, so that workers would be more encouraged to come back to work.

Similarly, the Taekwang Vina shoe-making company of the Bien Hoa 2 industrial park in Dong Nai had spent billions of Vietnamese dong to give lucky money to workers and hold special lotteries.

This year, the company’s board of directors has spent nearly VND7 billion (US$285,360) for such purposes on the first working day after the Tet holiday on Friday.

Dinh Sy Phuc, president of the Taekwang Vina company union, said each worker has received VND200,000 as lucky money. The lotteries included prizes like gold and boxes of milk.

"Thanks to the festive atmosphere, over many years, the rate of workers returning to work on the first day has always been over 90%," Phuc said.

Besides Taekwang Vina, other major businesses that manufacture leather and shoes have also opened early, as their numbers of orders are stable until the middle of the year.

South Korean-invested Changshin Vietnam, a Nike supplier and the biggest employer of southern Dong Nai Province, spent VND8 billion as lucky money for around 37,000 workers to encourage them to return to work.

Taiwanese-invested footwear maker Pouyuen Vietnam, HCMC's biggest employer, also saw over 38,000 workers returning to work on the first working day after Tet.

The textile industry has also seen several positive signs.

Nguyen Thi Lien, vice general director of the PPJ Group, said orders for the first quarter were already full, so the entire business network, with over 17,000 workers in 30 factories began operations on Friday.

"The rate of workers returning to work on the first day often reaches over 90%," she said.

Lien said the firm has looked for new markets and diversified its client base by taking advantage of trade agreements. This year, besides traditional markets like the U.S., Europe and Japan, there are additions like Australia and Canada as well, she added.

Nguyen Thi Thuy, vice president of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, said most companies would reopen after Monday next week, so that workers would have plenty of time to enjoy Tet. Meanwhile, some companies have many orders, and began production right on Thursday.

A leader of the management board of HCMC free-trade zones and industrial parks said most workers returned to work right after Tet this year as they want to keep their jobs.

In Binh Duong, 700 businesses have resumed production, with around 200,000 workers returning to work, according to the provincial labor confederation.

Businesses in the VSIP industrial park have the highest rate of workers returning to work, at 75% on average.

Dang Tan Dat, head of the legal policy committee of the Binh Duong labor confederation, said businesses in certain sectors, like manufacturing and food processing, are looking to recruit around 60,000 workers.